Amy Ryan

A gifted supporting actress, Amy Ryan proved herself more than capable at a myriad of character portrayals in many genres. A longtime stage presence and a budding onscreen talent, possessing one of th...
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All of Leslie Knope's wishes and dreams are coming true. (And we'll be damned if there's a character on television that doesn't deserve happiness more than her!) Over the past few months not only has Pawnee's — and, okay, the world's — greatest person been elected to City Council, but she became engaged to her adorably dorky campaign manager, sexy elf king Ben Wyatt. Now she's getting a cherry on top of her whipped-cream happiness waffle: she'll get to meet her other dream man, Vice President Joe Biden, who's not having such a bad time himself lately.
Just one day after he and President Barack Obama were re-elected, Entertainment Weekly reported that Biden would be making a guest star appearance on the November 15 episode of Parks and Recreation. According to EW, "His cameo occurs at the beginning of the episode, in which former Congressional campaign manager Ben (Adam Scott) takes Leslie (Amy Poehler), to the White House to meet him." (NBC confirmed the cameo to Hollywood.com.) Biden filmed the cameo back in July, but as Parks and Rec executive producer Michael Schur explained, "The hardest part was keeping it secret for so long because there’s all these FEC rules and equal-time rules. We couldn’t air it before the election because it was the equivalent of a campaign contribution to advertise for one candidate.” What wasn't tough, however? Getting Biden to agree to do it. The VP, much like the President, is apparently a fan of the beloved NBC comedy. Schur also notes, "He was very nice and charming. He was clearly a big fan of Amy. It was the day the Emmy nominations came out, and when he walked through the door he congratulated her on her Emmy nomination. He said some very nice things about the show and talked about how the pro-public service message was meaningful.” Okay, we might have a crush now, too. Schur assures that the Biden meeting that takes place in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, a gift from Ben (awwwwww), is a very Leslie Knope moment. He tells EW, "They have a conversation where she does what you would imagine Leslie Knope would do when meeting Joe Biden, which is she loses control of herself a little bit. She gets really giggly and goofy around him.” NBC has released a teaser of the historic Parks and Rec moment. Watch and squee right along with Leslie, future President of the United States in 2024: Of course, while the meme-tastic Biden (who more recently flexed his comedy muscles on Late Show With David Letterman) and his upcoming guest stint is a particularly exciting one for Parks and Rec, he's not the only politician to rub elbow's with Pawnee's elite. This year's Season 5 premiere featured inspired cameos from Senators John McCain, Olympia Snowe, and Barbara Boxer. Everything's coming up Knope! [Photo credit: Carrie Devorah / WENN.com]
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David Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas consists of six stories set in various periods between 1850 and a time far into Earth's post-apocalyptic future. Each segment lives on its own the previous first person account picked up and read by a character in its successor creating connective tissue between each moment in time. The various stories remain intact for Tom Tykwer's (Run Lola Run) Lana Wachowski's and Andy Wachowski's (The Matrix) film adaptation which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The massive change comes from the interweaving of the book's parts into one three-hour saga — a move that elevates the material and transforms Cloud Atlas in to a work of epic proportions.
Don't be turned off by the runtime — Cloud Atlas moves at lightning pace as it cuts back and forth between its various threads: an American notary sailing the Pacific; a budding musician tasked with transcribing the hummings of an accomplished 1930's composer; a '70s-era investigatory journalist who uncovers a nefarious plot tied to the local nuclear power plant; a book publisher in 2012 who goes on the run from gangsters only to be incarcerated in a nursing home; Sonmi~451 a clone in Neo Seoul who takes on the oppressive government that enslaves her; and a primitive human from the future who teams with one of the few remaining technologically-advanced Earthlings in order to survive. Dense but so was the unfamiliar world of The Matrix. Cloud Atlas has more moving parts than the Wachowskis' seminal sci-fi flick but with additional ambition to boot. Every second is a sight to behold.
The members of the directing trio are known for their visual prowess but Cloud Atlas is a movie about juxtaposition. The art of editing is normally a seamless one — unless someone is really into the craft the cutting of a film is rarely a post-viewing talking point — but Cloud Atlas turns the editor into one of the cast members an obvious player who ties the film together with brilliant cross-cutting and overlapping dialogue. Timothy Cavendish the elderly publisher could be musing on his need to escape and the film will wander to the events of Sonmi~451 or the tortured music apprentice Robert Frobisher also feeling the impulse to run. The details of each world seep into one another but the real joy comes from watching each carefully selected scene fall into place. You never feel lost in Cloud Atlas even when Tykwer and the Wachowskis have infused three action sequences — a gritty car chase in the '70s a kinetic chase through Neo Seoul and a foot race through the forests of future millennia — into one extended set piece. This is a unified film with distinct parts echoing the themes of human interconnectivity.
The biggest treat is watching Cloud Atlas' ensemble tackle the diverse array of characters sprinkled into the stories. No film in recent memory has afforded a cast this type of opportunity yet another form of juxtaposition that wows. Within a few seconds Tom Hanks will go from near-neanderthal to British gangster to wily 19th century doctor. Halle Berry Hugh Grant Jim Sturgess Jim Broadbent Ben Whishaw Hugo Weaving and Susan Sarandon play the same game taking on roles of different sexes races and the like. (Weaving as an evil nurse returning to his Priscilla Queen of the Desert cross-dressing roots is mind-blowing.) The cast's dedication to inhabiting their roles on every level helps us quickly understand the worlds. We know it's Halle Berry behind the fair skinned wife of the lunatic composer but she's never playing Halle Berry. Even when the actors are playing variations on themselves they're glowing with the film's overall epic feel. Jim Broadbent's wickedly funny modern segment a Tykwer creation that packs a particularly German sense of humor is on a smaller scale than the rest of the film but the actor never dials it down. Every story character and scene in Cloud Atlas commits to a style. That diversity keeps the swirling maelstrom of a movie in check.
Cloud Atlas poses big questions without losing track of its human element the characters at the heart of each story. A slower moment or two may have helped the Wachowskis' and Tykwer's film to hit a powerful emotional chord but the finished product still proves mainstream movies can ask questions while laying over explosive action scenes. This year there won't be a bigger movie in terms of scope in terms of ideas and in terms of heart than Cloud Atlas.
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What a Monday! It's hard to get too excited for any of these tidbits, since we're still jumping up and down and squealing over the fact that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host this year's Golden Globe Awards. Still, we're counting down the days until the Girls of, well, Girls return, and plenty of other pilot and casting news added to our rare Monday happiness:
Rachel Zoe Goes Peacock: In case a reality version of Rachel Zoe's life wasn't enough, NBC has bought a single-camera comedy project to bring the sort-of-fictional version to life. Because who better to play Rachel Zoe than... not Rachel Zoe? Zoe and her husband Rodger Berman will produce the project, which will be written by Aseem Batra (Animal Practice) and directed by Emmy winner Todd Holland. We die. [Deadline]
Dave Navarro to Cross SAMCRO: The boys of SAMCRO have yet another gang banger to watch out for: Jane's Addiction rocker Dave Navarro will join Sons of Anarchy for this season's finale two episodes, as a gang member tied to Jimmy Smits' character, Nero. Also, Jane's Addiction will perform a cover of "Sympathy for the Devil" for the show's finale. [Hollywood Reporter]
The Shahs, Our Holiday Miracle: The Shahs of Sunset are back! The wealthy Beverly Hills Persians will return to Bravo on Dec. 2, to offer their thoughts on the national debt crisis and the rapid decline of the middle class in American Society. Just kidding! One of them will have a "gaylife crisis", and another will struggle to maintain a swimwear line and a serious relationship. Thanks for the drama, Ryan Seacrest! [Hollywood Reporter]
Bachelor Discrimination Suit Dismissed: The racially charged class action lawsuit against The Bachelor and The Bachelorette was dismissed today. Judge Aleta Trauger granted the motion to dismiss the racial discrimination suit — which was filed by football players Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson — requested by defendants ABC, Warner Horizon Television, Next Entertainment, NZK Productions and the show’s exec producer Michael Fleiss. Claybrooks and Johnson unsuccessfully auditioned for the show, and protested the fact that the shows never have a winner who is a person of color. [Deadline]
Girls and Enlightened Get Premiere Dates: They're baaaack! Some of television's sauciest ladies will return to HBO on Jan. 13, both for their 10-episode sophomore seasons. Lena Dunham's Girls will take the Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET timeslot, with the Laura Dern-starring Enlightened moving to 9:30 — a step up from last year's Monday night slot, if you ask us. [TVLine]
Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna
[PHOTO CREDIT: Daily Celeb]
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With each outing in his evolving filmmaking career actor-turned-director Ben Affleck has amped up the scope. Gone Baby Gone was a character drama woven into a hard-boiled mystery. The Town saw Affleck dabble in action pulling off bank heists many compared to the expertise of Heat. In Argo the director pulls off his most daring effort melding one part caper comedy and two parts edge-of-your-seat political thriller into an exhilarating theatrical experience.
At the height of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 anti-Shah militants stormed the U.S. embassy and captured 52 American hostages. Six managed to escape the raid finding refuge in the Canadian ambassador's home. Within hours the militants began a search for the missing Americans sifting through shredded paperwork for even the smallest bit of evidence. Under pressure by the ticking clock the CIA worked quickly to formulate a plan to covertly rescue the six embassy workers. Despite a lengthy list of possibilities only Tony Mendez (Affleck) had a plan just enticing enough to unsuspecting Iranian officials to work: the CIA would fake a Hollywood movie shoot.
There's nothing in Argo or Affleck's portrayal of Mendez that would tell you the technical operations officer has the imagination to conjure his master plan — Affleck perhaps to differentiate himself from the past plays his character with so much restraint he looks dead in the eyes — but when the Hollywood hijinks swing into full motion so does Argo. Mendez hooks up with Planet of the Apes makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to convince all of Hollywood that their sci-fi blockbuster "Argo " is readying for production. With enough promotional material concept art and press coverage Mendez and his team can convince the Iranian government they're a legit operation. A location scout in Tehran will be their method of extracting the bunkered down escapees.
Without an interesting lead to draw us in Affleck lets his eclectic ensemble do the heavy lifting. For the most part it works. Argo is basically two movies — Goodman and Arkin lead the Ocean's 11-esque half and Affleck takes the reigns when its time to get the six — another who's who of character actors including Tate Donovan Clea Duvall Scoot McNairy and Rory Cochrane — through the terrifying security of the Iranian airport. Arkin steals the show as a fast talking Hollywood type complete with year-winning catchphrase ("ArGo f**k yourself!) while McNairy adds a little more humanity to the spy mission when his character butts heads with Mendez. The split lessens the impact of each section but the tension in the escape is so high so taut that there's never a moment to check out.
Reality is on Affleck's side his camera floating through crowds of protestors and the streets of Tehran — a warscape where anything can happen. Each angle he chooses heightens the terror which starts to close in on the covert escape as they drift further and further from their homebase. Argo is a complete package with the '70s production design knowing when to play goofy (the fake movie's wild sci-fi designs) and when to remind us that problems took eight more steps to fix then they do today. Alexandre Desplat's score finds balance in haunting melodies and energetic pulses.
Part of Argo's charm is just how unreal the entire operation really was. To see the men and women involved go through with a plan they know could result in death. It's a suspenseful adventure and while there's not much in the way of character to cling to the visceral experience tends to be enough.
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The couple exchanged vows on Saturday (06Oct12) at a ceremony in California in front of guests including Amy Poehler, Jason Ritter, America Ferrera and Blake Lively, who was with her new husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Pictures from the big day now reveal the actress wore a bright yellow dress, with flowers in her hair, and shunned shoes as she arrived with her wedding party in a kayak.
Indie rockers Yo La Tengo performed at the reception and The Roots star Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson served as DJ.

Do you feel that change in the wind, readers? Because — largely thanks to Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, Lena Dunham and the like — ladies are killing it behind the scenes on television right now. Today, it was announced that Hollywood mega-starlet Reese Witherspoon would join Sofia Vergara in the 'hot ladies tapped to executive produce new dramas for the upcoming pilot season' category. Excited? We certainly are. Today also brought good news for fans of Syfy's Face-Off, and the sexiness that is Demian Bichir. Read on, and try not to get too excited for 2013. It's not here yet. Live in the moment, people.
Reese's Great Expectations: We bet the CW has some high expectations for this one: The network has put Expectations — a modern take on Charles Dickens' classic Great Expectations — in development, with none other than new mom Reese Witherspoon tapped to executive produce. Expectations will center on a small-town girl who moves to San Francisco. She totally hates it there (ugh, who wouldn't) until her fortunes turn thanks to an anonymous benefactor. Meghan Lyvers and Evelyn O’Neill will also executive produce. [Deadline]
More Like Face-On: Sorry, we just couldn't resist. Syfy's special-effects make-up competition series (say that five times fast!) Face Off has been picked up for a fourth season. This season, Face Off has averaged 986,000 million viewers in the 18-49 demo, and 1.7 million total viewers. Not too shabby for a show about make-up — but having the likes of Brian Grazer guest star (as he is tomorrow night) certainly can't hurt. [Deadline]
Demian Bichir Crossing the Bridge to TV: FX's upcoming drama pilot The Bridge — which, as we already announced, will star Diane Kruger as one of two detectives hunting down a border-crossing serial killer — has found its male lead. Oscar nominee Demian Bichir will play Marco Ruiz, a Mexican detective who teams up with Kruger's character to bring down a major criminal. Ruiz is a family man, and one of the last detectives in the force that hasn't been corrupted by the nearby cartels. Annabelle Gish has also joined the cast, as a wealthy, widowed ranch wife whose husband most likely had something to do with the case Bichir and Kruger are investigating. [Deadline]
Even the Devil Has a Mother: Now this should be fun: looks like Emily Van Camp's Emily Thorne won't be the only Revenge cast member gaining a mom this season. Victoria Grayson's (Madeline Stowe) wicked ways will be put under the microscope when Maude alum Adrienne Barbeau shows up as her mother, whom creator Mike Kelley says is "somebody who knows how to use people." Hm, sound familiar? Apparently, her devious behavior helped shape the monster that is now commonly known as Victoria Grayson. [TVLine]
Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna
[PHOTO CREDIT: Lia Toby/WENN.com]
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Unlike a lot of competition-based reality shows, The Amazing Race has never felt much need to change its fundamental format. There have been "All-Star" seasons, sure, and I think I remember at least one iteration that called for 100 percent same-sex teams (I am 100 percent misremembering this). But those are cosmetic changes. The Road Blocks, Detours, and Pit Stops that have been there since the beginning — they remain, to this day, mostly the same as they've always been. Those table-resetting "park doesn't open 'til 10am!" moments will never go away, nor the "whose plane will actually arrive first?" question. And you'd think, 37 seasons in, that all of this would be boring.
But it's not.
For starters, the theme song is a classic composition that will one day be remembered alongside the greats of the medium. But more to the point, the show offers a RACE AROUND THE WORLD… and an opportunity for us viewers at hime, however well- or insufficiently-traveled, to imagine ourselves facing the same challenges and cultural exchanges. That will never get old!
Last night's episode saw our 10 teams (now nine) jet from Shanghai to Surabaya, Indonesia: a place where complete strangers entertain children in the park, Taxi is spelled "Taksi," and bull racing is a much-loved pastime. Did you know any of this before The Amazing Race? I mean, be honest with yourself.
Athletic San Diegoans Abbie &amp; Ryan kicked things off, but their backstory (I think they like the beach?) was quickly overshadowed by the revelation that Married Monster Truckers Rob &amp; Kelley were only married after the death of her first husband (who was his best friend). Human interest, right? When everyone made their way onto the same flight to Indonesia, it was Rob &amp; Kelley who bucked the company line and found a new route. "Did it turn out well?" I can hear you asking, to which I respond "They didn't lose."
That would be Amy &amp; Daniel, actually, two incredibly nice and motivated people who just… didn't have luck on their side for the duration of the day's events. Perfectly great racing did them no good when they hopped in a cab that couldn't figure out where it was going. They got to their destination eventually, but eventually don't count. You watch enough of this show and realize that so much is predicated on happenstance. It's a cancelled flight, or a blind taxi driver, or a plague of locusts. It's anything but you, but it's indiscriminate — and it could strike at any time. Better to get five to six legs in before having the rug pulled out? Or is it somehow more painful to have met the law of international travel averages so early in the journey? Something to ponder for the Race alumni reading this!
The leg's first challenge, "Bull Racing," wasn't really a challenge so much as it was an opportunity to relax before stepping up to a Roadblock/Detour combo. Teams literally had to do nothing except survive the 300-foot motorcycle ride. And they all did.
One of my favorite things on the show is contestants answering, on camera, the questions posed by their clue. "Who likes to party?" it might ask, as it did last night. The teammates probe each other's faces before one of them finally, awkwardly says, "I… I like to party" with a sort of yearning, half-questioning lilt. "Yeah, yeah," their body language tries to reinforce. "I'm a big time partier! Let's do this." Of course those PARTYING skills get holstered when it's time to blow up the balloon animals while peddling a merry-go-round for Indonesian children, but you get it. Most every team managed to breeze through the challenge with relative ease. (Except Substitute Teachers/Best Friends Will &amp; Gary, the former of whom just couldn't work the balloons.)
After partying came our Detour, and its two choices: ice block carrying or fish re-arranging. And, as is so often the case on Race, almost no one opted for the second option. Only twins Natalie and Nadiya, who went on to win the leg (and an Express Pass, to be used to bypass a future miserable challenge), tried FISH. And it paid off. The ice block carrying option wasn't very challenging, but it was far and away the more physically strenuous of the two. Lexi was glad for her boyfriend Trey's "big macho arms." But she didn't dismiss her own gender-specific strengths, either, suggesting that it's because of her womanhood that she's managed to become a great multitasker.
I could go on and tell you about the Pit Stop, where Phil waited with a great sun hat and new friend to welcome teams to Surabaya. Or the way Josh &amp; Brent are just NOT living up to the sort of sassy bon mots they were dropping last week. (And the Chippendales, it must be said, remained very un-shirtless once more.) But let's call it a morning for now, maybe watch Treme? We'll meet back next week, ready to just PARTY.
[Image Credit: CBS]
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Wuthering Heights is an incredible experience director Andrea Arnold having taken the Emily Brontë novel and turned it on its head in her typically nervy bold style. There's little dialogue it's shot using available natural light and like her previous film Fish Tank stars an unknown actor whose presence commands every scene.
There is moping on the moors in Wuthering Heights but the muddy meditative experience that has almost nothing in common with its predecessors. There's no romantically brooding Olivier or pillow-lipped Tom Hardy here; this is not an experience for teen girls to swoon over. As children Catherine and Heathcliff are odd playmates. Once Mr. Earnshaw dies and Catherine's older brother Hindley takes over the household Heathcliff's life changes drastically for the worse. He's physically and verbally abused and banished to the barn to sleep with the "other animals." It's clear that this is a brand-new nearly incomprehensible world for Healthcliff and it's impossible to not feel empathy for him especially during an aborted attempted at baptizing him. As a teen his relationship with Catherine is magical despite (or because?) how much he risks to just play in the mud with her. An ominous indicator of their lifelong relationship is that she doesn't grasp why her playmate isn't as free as she is to do what she wants. She's sorry that Heathcliff gets beaten for ditching work to play with her but that doesn't stop her from encouraging him. As children they romp like puppies with just a hint of their budding sexuality; they're pure selfish id.
In many ways neither of them outgrow this selfishness. Even when she's married and pregnant Catherine feels Heathcliff betrayed her by leaving. Heathcliff's ruthlessness in his pursuit of revenge is equally childish; we see him torturing dogs that mirrors the actions of Hindley's grubby-faced neglected child. Is it nature or nurture? Is Hindley's child learning by watching the adults around him or should we believe the natural tendency of children is this utterly careless cruelty? Whichever it is there's no doubt that Heathcliff's disavowal of the past and insistence of living in the present — "There's only now " he tells her — has nothing to do with Buddhist mindfulness but a total disregard for how his actions affect others. His initial plan included suicide but this seems much more interesting.
Howson's performance as an adult Heathcliff is remarkable. He's not a sympathetic character — no one is in this film. Although it's not clear whether or not Arnold was specifically looking to cast a person of color for the role of Heathcliff the fact that Howson is black adds an extra layer of complexity to the drama. In the book he's described in such a way that indicates at the very least his ethnic background isn't white but Arnold ups the ante by putting a racial epithet in Hindley's mouth. This drives home the idea of Heathcliff's outsider status; it makes his "otherness" visible.
There's something gentle in Heathcliff's face that belies the nearly sociopathic anger within. When he first seduces Catherine's sister-in-law Isabella as part of his revenge on Catherine it's erotic in a way that makes the viewer complicit in Isabella's eventual destruction. (This serves as an interesting foil to Fish Tank and its ethically troubling but arousing sex scenes with Michael Fassbender and Katie Jarvis.) As the adult Catherine Kaya Scodelario puts in a good performance. Her Catherine looks angelic but is all hard angles underneath those lacy flounces. She is the wild shrieking woman to Heathcliff's cold silence and when she is finally quiet it's only because she's succumbed to the furor of their lifelong struggle.
Throughout Wuthering Heights we are put in Heathcliff's shoes. We see Catherine through his eyes and we understand what it feels like to ride on a horse behind her with her hair whipping in our face and the warm flank under our fingers. We are immersed in this sensual experience of being Heathcliff thanks to the magic of Robbie Ryan's cinematography. (Ryan has worked as a cinematographer on all of Arnold's films including her Oscar-winning short Wasp.) The handheld camera work is intense and occasionally nauseating but its immediacy is crucial to the film. Using available light occasionally works against it as some scenes are so dark it's hard to tell what's actually happening.
Wuthering Heights gives rise to an internal debate. If it was edited down more with less lingering shots of bugs crawling across leaves or birds twinned in the sky as obvious metaphors for Heathcliff and Catherine it would be an entirely different experience. Would it be better maybe more enjoyable easier to sit through? Or is that beside the point? Andrea Arnold's talent lies in pushing the viewer past their normal boundaries of what's romantic or beautiful. In Arnold's world a mother and daughter dancing in a kitchen to "Life's a Bitch" by Nas is as loving and joyful as Heathcliff's frenzied attempts to unearth Catherine's coffin. You either decide you're all in or you're not.

It was the trickle of pee heard around the world. Cannes attendees were aghast and/or amused an infamous scene from The Paperboy that shows Nicole Kidman urinating on Zac Efron; this is apparently a great salve for jellyfish burns which were covering our Ken Doll-like protagonist. (In fact the term protagonist should be used very loosely for Efron's character Jack who is mostly acted upon than active throughout.)
Lurid! Sexy! Perverse! Trashy! Whether or not it's actually effective is overshadowed by all the hubbub that's attached itself to the movie for better or worse. In fact the movie is all of these things — but that's actually not a compliment. What could have become somethingmemorable is jaw-droppingly bad (when it's not hilarious). Director Lee Daniels uses a few different visual styles throughout from a stark black and white palette for a crime scene recreation at the beginning to a '70s porno aesthetic that oscillates between psychedelic and straight-up sweaty with an emphasis on Efron's tighty-whiteys. This only enhances the sloppiness of the script which uses lines like narrator/housekeeper/nanny Anita's (Macy Gray) "You ain't tired enough to be retired " to conjure up the down-home wisdom of the South. Despite Gray's musical talents she is not a good choice for a narrator or an actor for that matter. In a way — insofar as they're perhaps the only female characters given a chunk of screen time — her foil is Charlotte Bless Nicole Kidman's character. Anita is the mother figure who wears as we see in an early scene control-top pantyhose whereas Charlotte is all clam diggers and Barbie doll make-up. Or as Anita puts it "an oversexed Barbie doll."
The slapdash plot is that Jack's older brother Ward (Matthew McConaughey) comes back to town with his colleague Yardley (David Oyelowo) to investigate the case of a death row criminal named Hillary Van Wetter. Yardley is black and British which seems to confuse many of the people he meets in this backwoods town. Hillary (John Cusack) hidden under a mop of greasy black hair) is a slack-jawed yokel who could care less if he's going to be killed for a crime he might or might not have committed. He is way more interested in his bride-to-be Charlotte who has fallen in love with him through letters — this is her thing apparently writing letters and falling in love with inmates — and has rushed to help Ward and Yardley free her man. In the meantime we're subjected to at least one simulated sex scene that will haunt your dreams forever. Besides Hillary's shortcomings as a character that could rustle up any sort of empathy the case itself is so boring it begs the question why a respected journalist would be interested enough to pursue it.
The rest of the movie is filled with longing an attempt to place any the story in some sort of social context via class and race even more Zac Efron's underwear sexual violence alligator innards swamp people in comically ramshackle homes and a glimpse of one glistening McConaughey 'tock. Harmony Korine called and he wants his Gummo back.
It's probably tantalizing for this cast to take on "serious" "edgy" work by an Oscar-nominated director. Cusack ditched his boombox blasting "In Your Eyes" long ago and Efron's been trying to shed his squeaky clean image for so long that he finally dropped a condom on the red carpet for The Lorax so we'd know he's not smooth like a Ken doll despite how he was filmed by Daniels. On the other hand Nicole Kidman has been making interesting and varied career choices for years so it's confounding why she'd be interested in a one-dimensional character like Charlotte. McConaughey's on a roll and like the rest of the cast he's got plenty of interesting projects worth watching so this probably won't slow him down. Even Daniels is already shooting a new film The Butler as we can see from Oprah's dazzling Instagram feed. It's as if they all want to put The Paperboy behind them as soon as possible. It's hard to blame them.

Do you smell those funky foreign dishes wafting through the air? Can you hear a disgruntled spouse, friend, relative, or on-again (soon to be off-again) love interest screaming at their partner? Are PHIL'S EYEBROWS RAISED? Then it must be the start of a brand-new season of TV's most edu-taining reality show, The Amazing Race!
Like its first cousin Survivor, Race has been around now for what feels like 40 seasons. And like many that reach middle age, the show has decided it's time to spice things up: For the first time ever, contestants are now eligible to win $2 million dollars to the normally half-that-amount prize. This would be tremendously exciting… but for the stipulation that only the team who wins both the first and last challenges is eligible to claim it. So "Dating Divorcees" Abbie and Ryan are now, as long as they remain in the race, the only duo capable of being the first-ever $2 million winners. Dramatic? Not really. But we're getting ahead of ourselves…
Some 17-24 hours earlier, and many miles from the Shanghai, China Pit Stop, we met our newest set of 11 teams. They are:
1. TREY &amp; LEXI (DATING)
A former University of Texas football player/cheerleader power couple, Trey and Lexi are hoping to use their winnings to get married. I hope they get their wedding off the ground with or without Race money, but a million dollars (or TWO, as they certainly hoped) would go a long way toward the Hook 'Em Horns wedding dress, floral arrangements, and marching band rental two Longhorns will surely require.
2. NATALIE &amp; NADIYA (TWINS)
Twin Indian sisters born in America but raised overseas. In their first interview, the two admit to having used their identical looks to cheat on tests. Later in the episode they casually pretend to be further behind when another team asks their status. Are they trustworthy? It's just too soon to tell! But probably not.
3. JAMES &amp; ABBA (ROCKSTAR &amp; HIS LAWYER)
One of these guys was a metal guitarist in the '80s for groups like White Lion and Megadeth, and the other was/is his similarly coiffed lawyer. Together they are "comfortable being uncomfortable" and a surprisingly adept duo, apart from nearly duffing the first Pit Stop entirely. Based on the focus they received in this first episode, I think it's safe to say they'll be around for a while. "Breakout team!" said someone at a CBS meeting in June.
4. JOSH &amp; BRENT (GOAT FARMERS)
Goat farmers with a twist, that is — they're GAY goat farmers. In the span of the episode they went from seemingly doomed by their passive-aggression (at the airport: "Are you going to be like this all the way to China? I'll get a sleeping pill.") to remarkably quick and competent racers, finishing in 4th place. "We'll see!" is what I'll say now having just like you only seen this one episode.
5. AMY &amp; DANIEL (DATING)
Despite a bout of meningitis that eventually required dual leg amputation, Amy is a fierce snowboarder and seemingly all-around Superwoman. Daniel has some sick tats and is not great at ping-pong but can read a clue, which is a surprisingly rare skill sometimes on this show. I don't know what "Dating On and Off for Ten Years" means if it's not the premise for a movie, but they seem like a good team!
6. CAITLIN &amp; BRITTANY (BEST FRIENDS)
They both played sports in college, where one of them was "mean" and the other — okay, pass.
7. ROB &amp; SHEILA (ENGAGED)
They are now "ROB &amp; SHEILA (ELIMINATED)" but before Phil's first sympathetic dismissal of the season, they showed a lot of promise. In their intro video, Rob demonstrated his prowess at "Lumberjack sports" (!) and carried an axe seemingly all the time. Said Sheila, who had some kind of job, "Rob is definitely the boss in the relationship." It's a small sin that we didn't get to watch this play out as we all imagined it might. Bon voyage!
8. GARY &amp; WILL (SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS/BEST FRIENDS)
The slash relationships on this show are sometimes just a thing of beauty. "Retired Navy Seals/Bowling Teammates," "Tupperware Salesmen/Nickelback Fans," and "Parents/Dog Whisperers" are all combinations that, even if they haven't appeared on the show, could easily show up soon (and have already done so in my dreams). "Substitute Teachers/Best Friends"… there's just something so nice, so elegant about that intersection. And the questions it raises! Did Will meet Gary in the teacher's lounge, cracking a joke about parking spaces? Were they best friends well before they both decided to professionally show videos when Mr. Brown was out sick? The good news is we'll probably find out as they were NOT (pretend I'm Phil) eliminated this round. What we do know right now is that they had applied to the show seven times before being selected, the height difference between them is 1.5 feet, and the littler one fist pumps like a true Jersey Shore local.
9. ABBIE &amp; RYAN (DATING DIVORCEES)
Unless their batteries shut down halfway through Tajikistan or wherever the Eurasian leg of the Race takes us this year, Annie &amp; Ryan will probably win the whole thing. Being in good shape so often makes all the difference, and these two are in great shape. Plus Ryan compared his partner to Oprah on their website bios, which is the nicest thing you can say to any woman (who already knows she's attractive).
10. JAYMES &amp; JAMES (BEST FRIENDS/CHIPPENDALES DANCERS
There's no shame in capitalizing on a popular pop cultural moment. And so it was that CBS executives, minutes after the midnight showing of Magic Mike at the Lincoln Square Loews, were on the phone trying to nab some shirtless, bow-tied beef slabs for Race's latest season. So far Jaymes and James seem very well suited to physical challenges and also agreeable, but maybe really, really lacking in common sense? Where most teams struggled to get through the episode's ping-pong match, or gross dining, our Chippendales had the most difficult time finding a woman fiddling with an abacus. Maybe they lose focus with their shirts on? "This Season On… " suggests that they will rectify the shirt issue soon enough.
11. ROB &amp; KELLEY (MARRIED MONSTER TRUCKERS)
And finally the season's "weird" team, edging out the surprisingly low-key Rocker/Lawyer duo with their MONSTER TRUCKING and LOOKING LIKE WESLEY SNIPES IN DEMOLITION MAN. I'll be honest — I thought these two were goners the minute they started wandering around their first Shanghai destination, failing to spot the clue box. And even more when they misread, or just didn't read, the instructions at the second Road Block (an eating contest). And yet they persevered, finishing among the top contenders and demonstrating the power of a committed, mutually interested partnership. Plus they're going to absolutely dominate in the Monster Trucking challenges.
Oh, and as to what, like, happened in the episode:
As is so often the case, we start the Race on American soil — here Pasadena, Calif., where within seconds of being cut loose, the racers were faced with a sort of terrifying opening task. "You buttplugs want a million dollars?" Bertram Van Munster bellowed from his Moon Tower far above earth. "Then rappel down this bridge, yesterday." Wasting time is for seasons past! Cycle 41 is all about ACTION.
After driving to LAX in FORD, THEY'RE AMERICAN-MADE FORD vehicles the teams set off for their first international destination: Shanghai, China. And, in 30-ish minutes, producers and challenge designers managed to both question and challenge all the wacky, xenophobic factoids we've learned about the Land of the Setting Sun.
Confirmed, for one, is the extent to which China loves its ping-pong. In the first Road Block, Racers were pitted against a "Junior Champion" whom they were required to best only once. And the Chinese ace was stuck using non-regulation paddles, like books and frying pans. And yet…China's answer to Forrest Gump consistently mopped the floor with his American challengers. Eventually each team got past, sure, but only after the kid had downgraded to, say, a wet napkin paddle. At which point the Racer received their clue, and a participation trophy.
Next up on our Chinese tour: gross food. You heard they eat DOG over there, right? It's probably true, especially if they're definitely eating frog fallopian tubes served in hollow papaya. Having seen the seasons where someone hemmed and hawed for an hour before eating haggis, most everyone sailed through without much protest. Natalie &amp; Nadiya even encouraged each other with Bollywood dance moves and the word "Twinny," which is already exhausting.
All that stood between our 11 teams and the Bund Observatory Pit Stop was a little old lady fiddling around on an abacus, which most found pretty directly. But some teams, man… I suppose the word "abacus" could be a dead stop for a few people, and even those that knew what it was might struggle to spot one from afar. But more than rappelling, more than ping-pong, and more than frog fallopian tubes, "little old lady with an abacus" seemed the most challenging event of the leg. That's a problem when you're trying to create dramatic television, but reality is reality. Bertram would never compromise that.
In the end it came down to a foot race between the Chippendales and Rob and Sheila, which the latter just couldn't win. But so what, I hope they're saying. They have each other; they have their collection of axes. What's a million dollars when you're a LUMBERJACK ATHLETE with a breakfast special in your name at any Denny's nationwide? An oversized check is fleeting; being a man the likes of which I will never know personally is FOREVER.
NEXT WEEK: Will Amy &amp; Daniel continue their reign of moral superiority after regretfully helping Abbie &amp; Ryan beat them to the mat? Will Karma find its way back to Natalie &amp; Nadiya for their lying to the Monster Truckers? Answers to these questions and probably more Chinese stereotypes. Tune in!
[Image Credit: CBS] More: The Amazing Race Season Finale React: A Record Breaking Episode Hollywood.com's Fall TV Guide

Had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom "The Office" as dorky HR rep Holly Flax

Joined the third season of HBO's "In Treatment" as Paul's new therapist

Replaced Calista Flockhart as Natasha in a revival of "The Three Sisters"

Had a short stint on the daytime drama "As the World Turns" (CBS)

Had a small role in the Oscar-nominated film, "You Can Count on Me"

Played Tea Leoni’s spoiled stepdaughter on the short-lived ABC sitcom, "The Naked Truth"

Had a recurring role in the critically acclaimed drama "I'll Fly Away" (NBC) as a manipulative high school temptress

Cast as Peggy in the Broadway revival of "The Women"

Received second Tony Award nomination for playing Stella Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Feature film debut in the drama, "Roberta"

Joined the cast of "The Wire" (HBO) in its second season, playing Port Authority Officer Beadie Russell

Played a prostitute wrongfully imprisoned by police in Clint Eastwood's "Changeling"

Broadway debut as Tessa Goode in "The Sisters Rosensweig"

Received rave reviews for her portrayal of a drug-addicted mother whose child was abducted in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone"; earned Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress

Received critical acclaim and her first Tony Award nomination for playing the love-starved Sonya in "Uncle Vanya"

Summary

A gifted supporting actress, Amy Ryan proved herself more than capable at a myriad of character portrayals in many genres. A longtime stage presence and a budding onscreen talent, possessing one of those lived-in, ordinary faces, Ryan was often cast as the reliable housewife, mother or girlfriend. But as a port authority cop Beadie Russell on HBO's gritty series "The Wire" (2002-08), she was able to spread her wings and flaunt her aptitude for East Coast drawls. But New York theater aficionados finally had an emerging talent to cheer for in the movies, as the rising star received a breakout role in a big Hollywood production and Ben Affleck's directorial debut, the Boston-set crime drama "Gone Baby Gone" (2007), which earned Ryan a bevy of awards and an Academy Award nomination. From there, she again displayed her ability to portray on-the-edge characters in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (2007), before turning to comedy as the romantic interest to Michael Scott (Steve Carell) in several seasons of "The Office" (NBC, 2005- ). She went on to portray a psychoanalyst on the critics' favorite "In Treatment" (HBO, 2008-2010) and played the wife of a struggling wrestling coach in the indie drama "Win Win" (2011), underscoring her ability to portray a wide variety of roles.

Education

Name

Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center

High School of the Performing Arts

Notes

"When we wrapped this movie ["Gone Baby Gone"], I had to clean up my language. I was cursing like a sailor for about two weeks. I went home and I caught myself over and over. I went, oh my lord. So yeah, first I had to wash my mouth out with soap. You get drunk on the power of such strong language.

"But other than that, I've played really emotional roles in theater. With any job, you should leave your work at the office. Don't take it home with you. I took home the homework and the research, but not the emotional life." - Ryan on playing a drug addicted mother to CNN.com, Feb. 5, 2008

"I don't mind not being glamorous in a role, because the truth of a situation is where the beauty lies. But being like that next to Angelina Jolie - oh man." - Ryan on working with Jolie in "Changeling" to Los Angeles magazine, November 2008